Ch. 14
Later that evening, Thor and Jane were helping Loki get ready for bed. He seemed extremely anxious and couldn't calm down enough to rest. At first he refused to tell either of the adults what was wrong, so they tried different things to make him tired.
Jane read him a story.
Thor made him a glass of warm milk.
Jane read him another story.
All of this did calm Loki down a little bit, but he still had something on his mind and it was clear that he would be awake for quite awhile. Jane was about to give up and tell Loki that he could go watch television when Thor decided to question his brother one last time.
"Brother, are you upset about Director Fury?"
Loki looked at him nervously. "I don't like him and he's going to come back for me."
Thor shook his head and took Loki's hand. "I promise that he will not take you. You have nothing to worry about. We will handle the situation and you will be fine."
"But what if he comes back and you're not there?"
"Sweety, Tony has already stepped up security here. If he comes back we will know. Someone will always be with you."
Loki shook his head, "That's not true."
"Yes it is. Now that we're all working together we can make arrangements to be available."
"No. You leave me alone at nighttime! He could come in then!"
Jane sighed. She knew where this was going. She understood it - Loki was just a kid, and he was afraid, so it was only right, but still she preferred to be able to sleep alone with Thor in their bedroom.
"Do you want one of us to stay here tonight?" She finally asked.
Loki nodded 'yes' and hugged Arrow.
Jane looked at Thor.
"Your turn or mine?"
"I will stay," Thor answered.
"Alright. I'll be in our room, then." She leaned in and kissed Loki on the forehead, and then kissed Thor on the lips.
Of course, Loki was grossed out by this.
"Ew," he said, looking at the couple. "That's disgusting."
00
Loki had a pretty big bed, so Thor slept next to him. As children on Asgard situations like this had happened before - Loki, being the younger one, would be scared to sleep alone, so he would go over to his brother's room and ask to sleep with him. This situation wasn't that different, Thor thought. He was happy to make his brother feel safe, even if it meant missing out on being with Jane.
Loki was Thor's main priority now, though.
After Thor had gotten into bed, Loki had cuddled up next to him and had quickly fallen asleep. Thor, meanwhile, was up late into the night, thinking about all that had happened.
SHIELD would come back, he was sure of it, and while he felt that the Avengers could defeat them, more battles would come. It would be a never ending tug of war over Loki. He felt bad for his brother, who was so sweet and scared. He didn't deserve this.
Sometime around midnight, the sound of Loki's voice broke Thor's train of thought. Loki was mumbling something under his breath, but Thor couldn't figure out what it was. He looked panicked. His fists were clenched as if he were ready to fight someone, and he was begining to sweat.
Unsure of what else to do, Thor patted Loki's arm to wake him up.
It worked all too well. Loki's eyes flew open and he sat up and screamed at the top of his lungs. It nearly made Thor jump out of his skin. He hadn't been expecting that.
He grabbed Loki's shoulders and shook him.
"Loki! You were dreaming!"
Loki was breathing hard and shaking, but Thor seemed to have brought him back to reality. There were then footsteps outside - someone was walking around in the living room. Thor heard the front door open and close, followed by two sets of footsteps towards the bedroom that they were in.
The door flung open and Jane and Steve were standing there, Jane dressed in her pajamas and Steve dressed in a set of sweat pants.
"Are you guys alright?" Steve asked, looking around. "I heard someone scream from all the way down the hall!"
Jane looked very concerned as well.
Thor held Loki closer to him, trying to calm his shaking.
"I think Loki had a nightmare."
Loki whimpered, then began to cry. Thor sighed and hugged him, and Steve and Jane moved closer. Both of them felt very bad for Loki.
Steve rested a hand on Loki's back.
"Hey, come on, it's okay," he said. "It's just a bad dream."
Loki shook his head. "It was worse than that."
Jane, Thor and Steve were confused.
"What do you mean?" Jane asked.
Loki pulled away from Thor.
"I think I remembered what happened."
00
The three adults had stayed up with Loki until the early morning hours, listening to what he had to say. Now, Steve was sitting with Tony, Bruce and Natasha and telling them about it.
"So he says that he remembers falling off of the Bifrost - Thor confirmed that part, by the way. He was falling for days he said, if not longer, until something pulled him from the darkness."
"How could he survive falling through space for days? That doesn't make sense," Natasha asked.
"He's a god. He doesn't need to breathe or eat or drink," Tony answered. "It's just better for him if he does."
"Okay."
"It turns out the thing that grabbed him was the leader of the Chitauri - The Other. That much we already knew. He spoke to the leader and the leader offered him an exchange - he brought back the Tesseract and he would be given an army to take over Earth."
"Sounds right," Tony replied.
"He actually refused."
"Really now?" Bruce asked, "That's interesting."
"Yeah. He said that he didn't want to hurt his brother and something about having had time to think and feeling like he preferred just to slowly die."
"That's... depressing," Tony commented. "But go on."
"Anyway, The Other apparently really wanted him to do it - needed someone who could speak to humans, someone to lead the attack. I guess he didn't want to get his hands dirty. Loki says that he remembers being taken somewhere, to a cell of some type, then being tied down to a table, and then he said it all went blank. Next thing he knew he was on Earth, doing The Other's bidding. Kinda like how Loki used mind control on Clint. Though technically I guess that it was really The Other using mind control on Loki to use mind control on Clint."
"You're serious?" Bruce was shocked. "I mean... if what he's saying is true, why couldn't he fight it? He's a god!"
"I have no idea. He did say that if he tried to speak his own thoughts nothing would come out. Like he couldn't verbalize anything but what The Other wanted him to say."
"I'm not sure if I believe that," Natasha said, "It sounds like he made it up to make himself seem less guilty. Or to feel better about himself. Something like that. It seems too convenient."
"I don't know. He was very upset, and he seemed like he at least believed what he was saying," Steve replied.
"If it is true, then it definitely makes me see him in a different light. I mean, the guy was a jerk to Thor and all but if he wasn't really responsible for the whole thing..." Tony trailed off.
"I know. It sort of changes things," Steve finished.
The group sat around for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts, before Bruce spoke up again.
"Guys - there might be a way to prove if what he's saying is real. You've heard of Heimdall? The all-seeing gatekeeper?"
"You think that he might've seen it?"
"Most likely."Bruce thought about this for another second, before adding, "Wouldn't he tell Odin, though? Your son being controlled by an evil entity is kind of a big deal."
"Maybe he has his reasons," Steve chimed in. "Maybe Thor could ask him."
Tony nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. Mention it to him, would you? He seems to trust you most, he might listen."
00
Thor, of course, immediately believed his brother's statements, especially when Loki pointed to the back of his neck, where he thought that the Chitauri had cut him. There was a scar there, which was odd, because as a god Loki should have healed entirely. Thor wondered if they had used some type of magic against him.
For most of the day, Thor stayed by Loki's side. Loki was still very nervous and he didn't want to be alone.
The brothers and Jane were watching cartoons when Steve knocked.
Thor answered the door, Loki right next to him.
"It is good to see you again, Captain," Thor greeted him.
"Likewise. And it's nice to see you again too, Loki."
Loki forced a smile in response.
"Is there something that I can help you with?" Thor asked.
"Actually...I kind of wanted to speak to you alone, if that's possible?" He looked at Loki, who seemed to become scared just at the thought of being without his brother for even a few moments. Thor was concerned about this, too.
"Loki, do you think that you could stay with Jane for a little bit, so I may talk to the Captain? I believe she has some of the cupcakes left from yesterday."
Loki immediately turned pale, which was quite a feat considering how white he usually was. He rested a hand on his stomach and looked like he was about to get sick.
"Okay, maybe cupcakes aren't a good idea," Steve said, "Maybe you can Jane can go draw? I'll only need to talk to your brother for a few minutes. Not long at all. Then I can draw with you too, if you want."
Steve's offer made Loki happy. He loved drawing with Steve. Steve could draw anything and draw it well and it always amazed Loki.
"Alright," he answered. He turned to Jane, who was still on the couch but was paying attention.
"I'll go get paper and pencils," she called out.
"Can we use crayons too?"
"Sure thing."
"Oh, that reminds me," Steve said, "Loki, I have a gift for you when Thor and I are done talking. I think you'll like it."
"Really?" Now Loki was truly smiling.
"Yup. Go draw and I'll bring it right over in a few minutes."
"Okay!" Loki practically skipped away, feeling extremely excited.
With Loki out of the way Thor and Steve could now speak.
"What is on your mind that you cannot say in front of Loki?" Thor asked.
"Well, Tony, Natasha and Bruce and I all met this morning. I told them about the things that Loki remembered, and we all agreed that it might be helpful if his claims could be proven in some way."
"My brother is not lying. I believe him, as should you."
Steve put his hands up, trying to stop Thor from speaking.
"I do believe him. The others want to believe him. If we could get proof, though, maybe we could use it to get SHIELD off of our backs. If Loki is truly not responsible for what happened, then they might leave him be."
"You make a good point," Thor replied. "But how would we do this?"
"Wouldn't Heimdall have seen it if the Chitauri had done something to Loki?"
"It is likely, yes."
"So then when you guys go back to Asgard, maybe you can ask? Maybe instead of making Loki a kid physically the sorceress could bring back his adult mind. If he's not guilty, then he shouldn't be punished..."
"This is a good idea," Thor said, "There is one problem, though."
"And that is?"
Thor stepped closer to Steve, and looked around to be sure that Loki was out of earshot.
"I am not entirely sure that father and mother want us back. We have yet to hear anything from anyone on Asgard. I would have thought that by now, Gróa would have found a solution."
"Your parents would really want that for Loki? For him to be stuck here with a child's mind?" Steve asked, dumbfounded. "I mean, I know that there was some problems between Odin and Loki but that seems a little harsh."
"I do not like to think of it. However, it would be much easier for them if Loki did not return. They could live in peace and the citizens of Asgard would be calmer."
"So you think that you guys might be stuck here permanently, then."
Thor frowned. "I hope that I am wrong. But if we do not hear from them, I will simply continue to care for Loki here. I would try to give him a happy life."
"I know you would. We'd all try to help with that, too. I'm sorry for bringing this up. I hadn't realized."
"It is not your fault, Captain. If by some chance we do get called to return, I will speak to Heimdall."
"Good, good."
There were footsteps behind them, and Thor and Steve turned to see Loki peeking into the room. Clearly, he wanted Steve to come draw with him.
"Captain, I recall you saying that you had a present for Loki?" Thor asked.
Loki smiled. "May I have it now?"
"Yes, just give me a minute," Steve answered, "I have to go get it from my room."
As Steve walked out Thor led Loki back to the kitchen, where Jane had laid out several sheets of paper and pencils on the table. Loki was explaining to Thor his drawing of a bird when Steve came back in.
Loki had expected a small gift. He never really got big gifts. Mother and father tended to prefer to give those to Thor. He usually got something cheap that kind of fit the genre of things that Loki might possibly like. Odin never really put much thought into it. So when he saw Steve carrying three large boxes, he couldn't stop grinning.
"Those are for me?!" Loki asked, running over to Steve.
"They are," Steve replied, putting the boxes down on the table. "It's more than one gift, I guess I should've said that. When we were shopping for Tony's birthday we went to a few different stores. I saw some things that I thought you might like and I ended up buying them."
"May I open them?" Loki was about ready to bounce up and down from excitement.
"Yeah go ahead."
Thor, Jane and Steve watched as Loki unwrapped the first box. It contained two t-shirts. One was black and had "I do what I want" written across the chest. Loki giggled when he saw that. Steve felt that it totally described the old Loki but it was also pretty funny now too. The other was green and had an artsy design incorporating several skulls drawn out on it in black.
"Do you like them?" Steve asked.
"They're great!" Loki yelled, "I want to put the green one on now!"
"Hold on, there's still two more boxes."
Loki quickly grabbed the second box and unwrapped it to see a book. It was an illustrated copy of a book called 'Fractured Fairy Tales'.
"Tasha said that you liked fairy tales so I figured you might like it," Steve explained.
Loki flipped through the pages, looking at the different drawings.
"Thank you, Steve!" he said, amused by all of the pictures.
"Okay, last one," Steve pointed to the last box. "That one's pretty delicate so be careful opening it."
"Okay..." Loki replied. He very slowly and carefully unwrapped the paper on it. When Loki saw what it was, his eyes got wide.
"Aw, Steve, you shouldn't have," Jane said, looking at the gift.
"This was very kind of you," Thor added.
Loki looked down, amazed at what was in front of him. It was a complete drawing set, including special pens, markers, colored pencils, a box of a 150 crayons and a few different types of paper.
After a minute of staring at the gift in awe, Loki ran over to Steve and gave him a hug.
"Thank you!" he nearly shouted, "Thank you thank you thank you!"
Steve smiled, "It's no problem. I'm glad you like everything."
"I love it!" Loki seemed to really mean it.
"So should we start calling you 'Uncle Steve' from now on?" Jane asked, smirking. "Because you really seem like that cool uncle who would buy their nephew awesome stuff."
"Uncle Steve," Steve repeated. "Hmm. I think I like the sound of that."